An information processing apparatus includes a selecting unit for selecting extraction information concerning contents to be extracted from among a plurality of contents organized in time sequence, the extraction information prepared on a per content basis for the contents to be extracted and including a feature contained in the content to be extracted, and an extraction range that is represented with respect to the position of the feature, a detecting unit for detecting, from the contents, the same feature as the feature contained in the extraction information selected by the selecting unit, and an extracting unit for extracting a predetermined content in accordance with the extraction range contained in the extraction information selected by the selecting unit if the detecting unit detects the same feature as the feature contained in the extraction information.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An information processing apparatus, comprising: selecting means for selecting a predetermined extraction information from a plurality of predetermined extraction information identifying content to be extracted from among a plurality of contents organized in time sequence, each predetermined extraction information corresponding to a different content to be extracted, each predetermined extraction information including a feature contained in the content to be extracted and an extraction range in number of frames or amount of time relative to a position of the feature; first extraction means for extracting a predetermined image portion of each frame of the plurality of contents in accordance with the selected predetermined extraction information, the predetermined image portion being smaller than a frame; means for masking the predetermined image portion of each frame of the plurality of contents with a predetermined mask identified in the predetermined extraction information to isolate at least one feature corresponding to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information from a background of the predetermined image portion of each frame; first detecting means for detecting, in the predetermined image portion of at least one frame of the plurality of contents, the at least one feature by comparing the at least one feature to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information; and second extracting means for extracting, from the plurality of contents, a content in accordance with the extraction range contained in the selected predetermined extraction information once the at least one feature is detected in the at least one frame.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: generating means for generating metadata representing a position of the content extracted from the plurality of contents.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the content to be extracted includes a commercial contained in a television broadcast content.
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feature contained in the content to be extracted comprises a predetermined image displayed by the content to be extracted.
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feature contained in the content to be extracted comprises a predetermined sound provided by the content to be extracted.
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: second detecting means for detecting one of a scene change and a mute period, wherein the predetermined extraction information further includes position information specifying a position of the feature contained in the content to be extracted, the content to be extracted is represented with respect to a position of one of the scene change and the mute period, and the first detecting means detects the at least one feature at the position specified by the position information, when one of the scene change and the mute period is detected.
7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: storage means for storing the predetermined extraction information.
8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising: update means for updating the predetermined extraction information by downloading extraction information from a server connected via a network.
9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the extraction information includes a start position of the content to be extracted and an end position of the content to be extracted, the start and end positions being relative to the position of the feature.
10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the extraction information is written in XML.
11. An information processing method for causing an information processing apparatus to perform the steps comprising: selecting, in a data processor, a predetermined extraction information from a plurality of predetermined extraction information stored in an electronic storage medium, the predetermined extraction information identifying content to be extracted from among a plurality of contents organized in time sequence, each predetermined extraction information being prepared for a different content to be extracted, each predetermined extraction information including a feature contained in the content to be extracted and an extraction range in number of frames or amount of time relative to a position of the feature; extracting, in the data processor, a predetermined image portion of each frame of the plurality of contents in accordance with the selected predetermined extraction information, the predetermined image portion being smaller than a frame; masking, in the data processor, the predetermined image portion of each frame of the plurality of contents with a predetermined mask identified in the predetermined extraction information to isolate at least one feature corresponding to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information from a background of the predetermined image portion of each frame; detecting, in the data processor, at least one feature in the predetermined image portion of at least one frame of the plurality of contents, the at least one feature corresponding to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information; and extracting, in the data processor, a content in accordance with the extraction range contained in the selected predetermined extraction information once the at least one feature is detected in the at least one frame.
12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions thereon, the computer-readable instructions when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method comprising: selecting, a predetermined extraction information from a plurality of predetermined extraction information identifying content to be extracted from among a plurality of contents organized in time sequence, each predetermined extraction information being prepared for a different content to be extracted, each predetermined extraction information including a feature contained in the content to be extracted and an extraction range in number of frames or amount of time relative to a position of the feature; extracting a predetermined image portion of each frame of the plurality of contents in accordance with the selected predetermined extraction information, the predetermined image portion being smaller than a frame; masking the predetermined image portion of each frame of the plurality of contents with a predetermined mask identified in the predetermined extraction information to isolate at least one feature corresponding to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information from a background of the predetermined image portion of each frame; detecting, in the predetermined image portion of at least one frame of the plurality of contents, at least one feature corresponding to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information; and extracting a content in accordance with the extraction range contained in the selected predetermined extraction information once the at least one feature is detected in the at least one frame.
13. An information processing apparatus, comprising: a selector configured to select a predetermined extraction information from a plurality of predetermined extraction information identifying content to be extracted from among a plurality of contents organized in time sequence, each predetermined extraction information corresponding to a different content to be extracted, each predetermined extraction information including a feature contained in the content to be extracted and an extraction range in number of frames or amount of time relative to a position of the feature; a detector configured to extract a image predetermined portion of each frame of the plurality of contents in accordance with the selected predetermined extraction information, the predetermined image portion being smaller than a frame, mask the predetermined image portion of each frame of the plurality of contents with a predetermined mask identified in the predetermined extraction information to isolate at least one feature corresponding to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information from a background of the predetermined image portion of each frame, and detect, in the predetermined image portion of at least one frame of the plurality of contents, at least one feature corresponding to the feature contained in the selected predetermined extraction information; and an extractor configured to extract, from the plurality of contents, a content in accordance with the extraction range contained in the selected predetermined extraction information once the at least one feature is detected in the at least one frame.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 3, 2005
March 27, 2012
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